Adrin Nazarian
Adrin Nazarian

Yesterday, California State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) announced $11 million in state funding for three arts and educational institutions that contribute to cultural growth in the Armenian community and Los Angeles, generally.

  • $1 million allocation to the University of Southern California Institute of Armenian Studies;
  • $9 million to establish a TUMO Center for Creative Technologies in the Southeast San Fernando Valley, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and the USC Institute of Armenian Studies;
  • $1 million to the Lark Musical Society, a nonprofit that delivers high-quality classical music education, curating performances of music, song, and dance.

“Assemblymember Nazarian’s foresight and leadership unlocks resources to help us all understand the place of each of our communities in the life and future of California, and we’re very, very grateful to him for seizing this opportunity. All of the Institute’s research and public facing programming focuses on documenting and analyzing the Armenian experience, as a piece of world history. There is value and power in documenting and understanding  the stories of native Californians and immigrants. Our work is a template for other communities with trajectories that are similar but different. It’s also a valuable resource for policymakers whose decisions impact all of us. The Institute staff is excited to bring these projects and partnerships  to fruition,” said Salpi Ghazarian, director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies.

This deep appreciation is shared by the Institute’s support base, the Leadership Council. Charles Ghailian, Chairman of the Leadership Council, said, “The USC Institute of Armenian Studies Leadership Council expresses its heartfelt gratitude to Assemblymember Nazarian for his unwavering support and the funding for these two critical projects: the $9 million for the United State’s first TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, which we will have the great pleasure of helping establish with the City of Los Angeles; and $1 million in funding for our ongoing oral history project, which will allow the Institute to expand the breadth and reach of these programs, benefiting various stakeholders in the state.”

Stay tuned for regular updates.  And Adrin Nazarian, to you, and to your colleagues who supported you in this undertaking, thank you!